ARRL Letter

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The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 20
May 19, 2006
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IN THIS EDITION:
* +FCC still mum on Morse code ruling
* +Ham radio volunteers make a difference during New England flooding
* +M2 to be Principal Awards Sponsor of June 2006 VHF Party
* +Elementary school pupils in Japan use ham radio to talk with ISS crew
* ARRL EXPO 2006 at Dayton Hamvention to feature mini-forums
* +Tragic tower accident claims life of well-known Oregon DXer
* +Logbook of the World reaches another milestone
* IN BRIEF:
This weekend on the radio
ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
+Dayton 2006 Weblog to add personal touch to Hamvention experience
ARRL's next-generation ham radio study guides now available
JARL awards representative will be at Dayton
Position opening at ARRL Headquarters
Jambo Scoutfest 2006 Boy Scout special event set
+Tide comes in for SSTV
DXCC Desk approves operations for DXCC credit
+Available on ARRL Audio News <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/>
===========================================================
==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):
letter-dlvy@arrl.org
==>Editorial questions or comments: Rick Lindquist, N1RL, n1rl@arrl.org
===========================================================
NOTE: Because of Dayton Hamvention travel schedules, the May 19 editions of
The ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News are being distributed Wednesday, May 17.
K7RA's Solar Update will be available Friday, May 19. See you in Dayton!
===========================================================
==>FCC WON'T SAY PUBLICLY WHEN IT WILL ACT ON MORSE CODE ISSUE
All bets appear to be off as to when the FCC might make a final decision on
deleting the Morse code requirement. Last July, an FCC Notice of Proposed
Rule Making and Order (NPRM&O) in WT Docket 05-235 proposed to eliminate the
Element 1 (5 WPM) Morse code requirement for all license classes. Most
observers expected the Commission to release a Report and Order (R&O) to
that effect by the end of this year, but even that timetable could prove
optimistic, based on what the Commission will say publicly. Before tackling
the Morse proceeding, the FCC wants to wrap up another important Amateur
Radio proceeding, WT Docket 04-140, the so-called "omnibus" or "phone band
expansion" proceeding. Responding to an ARRL inquiry, FCC personnel would
not go on the record and declined even to hazard a ballpark guess on when
the FCC might act on either Amateur Radio proceeding.
"They're at different points in the process," an FCC staffer said,
refraining from saying anything that might suggest a commitment. "One is
farther along in the review chain than the other." The staff member
indicated that the "omnibus" proceeding is "way ahead" of the Morse
proceeding in the WTB pipeline.
The FCC staffers attempted to assure ARRL that the WTB has not been sitting
on its hands. "It takes a while to plow through 4000 comments," one said,
referring to the huge volume of opinions filed in the Morse docket. "It's
not being neglected." The staff member did allow that WTB staff had
completed its comment review in the Morse proceeding but wouldn't say when
it might see the light of day. "I'd hesitate to say," one staff member
demurred. Neither would even say whether the WTB expected to conclude either
proceeding by the end of 2006.
"They should probably start learning code," one staffer advised those
waiting for the FCC to drop the Morse requirement before upgrading, noting
that a Certificate of Successful Completion of Exam (CSCE) for a written
exam element is only good for a year. Even after the FCC goes public with
its decision on Morse code, still more time is likely to pass before any new
rules go into effect, the staff member pointed out.
Earlier this year an WTB staffer, speaking without attribution, told ARRL,
"We certainly hope to release WT Docket 05-235 sometime this year, but we're
not making any predictions at this time. We certainly are not saving up any
big announcements for Dayton Hamvention."
Bill Cross, W3TN, the FCC Public Safety and Critical Infrastructure Division
staff member who typically addresses Amateur Radio-related proceedings
during Dayton Hamvention's FCC forum, won't be attending this year's show.
When the FCC does act , no one's expecting any major surprises: The
Commission appears poised to simply drop the Morse requirement for all
Amateur Radio license classes as it proposed last summer. Beyond that, the
FCC turned away several other petitions, including proposals to create a new
entry-level license class.
Any FCC decision to eliminate the 5 WPM Morse code requirement for HF access
would have no impact on either the current HF CW-only subbands or on the CW
privileges of Amateur Radio licensees. Current Technician licensees who have
not passed Element 1 will not gain HF access if the FCC drops the Morse
requirement.
The "omnibus" Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in WT Docket 04-140,
released in April 2004, consolidated a dozen petitions for rulemaking, some
dating back to 2001. The Commission has proposed to go along with the ARRL's
Novice refarming plan aimed at reallocating the current Novice/Tech Plus
subbands to expand portions of the 80, 40 and 15 meter phone bands. The FCC
also agreed with an ARRL proposal to extend privileges in the current
General CW-only HF subbands to present Novice and Tech Plus licensees (or
Technicians with Element 1 credit).
Among other things, the FCC also proposed to essentially do away with its
rules prohibiting the manufacture and marketing to Amateur Radio operators
of amplifiers capable of operation on 12 and 10 meters. And it further
proposed to adopt a rule to limit the number of applications a licensee may
file on a given day for the same vanity call sign.
The NPRM&O in WT Docket 05-235 is on the FCC Web site
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-143A1.pdf>. More
information on WT Docket 04-140 is on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/04/15/102/>, and the NPRM is on the
FCC Web site
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-79A1.pdf>.
==>AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS HANDLE FLOOD DUTY IN NEW ENGLAND
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers at mid-week were wrapping
up operations in the wake of major flooding that occurred in southeastern
New Hampshire and northeastern Massachusetts. The flooding has been called
New England's worst in 70 years. Eastern Massachusetts ARRL Section
Emergency Coordinator and SKYWARN Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, says formal
SKYWARN activation for the National Weather Service office in Taunton,
Massachusetts, ended late on May 15.
"We kept SKYWARN in a 'self-activated' mode at the discretion of local ARES
and SKYWARN coordinators to check out flooded areas and report updates as
the flooding recedes," Macedo told ARRL. "Additional flood warnings were
issued for a small part of central Massachusetts and parts of two counties
in southern New Hampshire, but checks with Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters
indicate no flood issues are occurring in those areas."
The heavy rainfall caused several major New England rivers to rise above
flood stage this week, in some cases setting new records.
Macedo reports that Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) volunteers
were at Region 1 headquarters and the Massachusetts State Emergency
Operations Center (WC1MA), supporting communication via Amateur Radio and
other means. Massachusetts State RACES Radio Officer Tom Kinahan, N1CPE,
said EOC operations would end as emergency managers shift from response to
recovery phase.
Total rainfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches occurred in the hardest-hit areas
with isolated higher amounts, while 2 to 6 inches of rain fell over other
parts of New England throughout a period of several days. ARES volunteers
delivered several hundred reports of road closures, flood damage to homes,
some evacuations and even a problem at a sewage treatment plant in
Haverhill, Massachusetts, Macedo said. There were also reports of road and
bridge washouts and, in one instance, a railroad bridge was knocked off its
foundation in Peabody, Massachusetts.
According to Macedo, Amateur Radio volunteers used VHF/UHF repeaters as well
as 6 meters, HF and the New England VoIP Integrated Conference Reflector.
Town EOCs had Amateur Radio and other communication support, but other than
the telephone Amateur Radio was the only direct link to the NWS-Taunton
office. On May 15, the Ipswich EOC, through Emergency Management Director
Charlie Cooper, K1CHC, requested information on the Ipswich River as it
threatened businesses in the downtown area.
"We were able to facilitate third-party traffic between Cooper and Bob
Thompson, the meteorologist-in-charge at NWS-Taunton, so he could get the
information directly," Macedo said. "Charlie was very happy that we could
perform this function."
Macedo reported at least one communication infrastructure issue May 16. The
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Region 1 headquarters found
that while its outgoing telephone service was working okay, it could not
receive incoming calls. RACES operator Dennis Brothers, N1DB, on duty at the
MEMA EOC, was able to get a message through to Region 1 via ham radio.
Kinahan said state emergency managers complimented RACES on its efforts to
back up the overloaded telephone circuits.
Rumors of dam failures abounded over the course of the flooding. Using
Amateur Radio NWS-Taunton worked with the MEMA EOC to dispel the gossip. "We
had no fewer than four instances of possible dam failures reported by
various sources," Macedo said. "Through Amateur Radio at NWS-Taunton and at
the MEMA EOC, we were able to learn the facts--that the dams were not
failing but were being monitored for stress, and action was being taken to
regulate the stress the significant rainfall had caused."
Due to the severity of the flooding, Eastern Massachusetts ARES was on
standby starting May 14, but there were no calls for ARES assistance to
backup RACES or to staff shelters for towns or Red Cross were received as of
May 17. In addition ARES backed up SKYWARN by checking out flooded areas.
Eastern Massachusetts ARES was scheduled to stand down May 17. "More than
100 Amateur Radio volunteers took part in ARES/RACES operations and weather
spotting across the region," Macedo said. "Everyone did a tremendous job
during this stressful time in our region."
==>ANTENNA MAKER M2 TO BE 2006 JUNE VHF QSO PARTY PRINCIPAL AWARDS SPONSOR
M2 Antenna Systems <http://www.m2inc.com/> has generously agreed to be
Principal Awards Sponsor for the 2006 ARRL June VHF QSO Party
<http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2006/june-vhf.html>. For many years, the
Fresno, California, company has been a popular source of high-performance
antennas for VHF/UHF/microwave contesters and DXers and especially
customized array systems--although M2 also makes antennas for HF work.
"As M2 Antenna Systems continues to capture more of the Amateur Radio and
commercial antenna markets, we are delighted it has agreed to support an
operating event that so many of its customers pursue with a great deal of
passion," said ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B.
M2 Antenna Systems Sales and Marketing Manager Wyatt Lyzenga, KF6VMW, says
Amateur Radio makes up nearly two-thirds of his company's business. "M2 is a
family owned and operated business with old-time values," he says. Its
owners are Mike and Myrna Staal, K6MYC and K6MYM. "We enjoy our work and the
time we spend designing and building products and finding solutions to
customers' requirements. We're one of the last customer-oriented
manufacturers."
After 32 years in the antenna business, M2 has a good handle on both
technical expertise and real-world experience, Wyatt says. "Our goal is to
produce the best, highest performance products possible within cost and time
limits," he adds. "We strive for customer satisfaction in our products."
M2 Antenna Systems will be Principal Awards Sponsor for all unsponsored
plaques for the June event. As Principal Awards Sponsor, M2's name will
appear on all plaques it sponsors, and its name and logo on all certificates
that go out to top scorers in the various event categories.
Agreeing to be Principal Awards Sponsor for the 2006 ARRL June VHF QSO Party
is one way to let the amateur community know that M2 is interested in
contests and let participating hams "know that we're there for them and can
help them out," Wyatt says. "Over the long haul, it helps us help our
customers better."
==>ISS ASTRONAUT FIELDS QUESTIONS FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOLERS IN JAPAN
Thanks to the magic of Amateur Radio, ISS Expedition 13 Flight Engineer Jeff
Williams, KD5TVQ, on May 11 helped to satisfy the curiosity of youngsters
attending Yoneda-Nishi Elementary School in Tagasako, Japan, about life in
space. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program
arranged the direct VHF contact between NA1SS in space and 8N3Y at the
school. Williams told the Yoneda-Nishi pupils that it's "quite an honor and
a privilege" to be an astronaut. But he noted that it can be dangerous work,
even aboard the ISS.
"Well, of course, space has a lot of dangers, and we have a good team on the
ground and we are well prepared in our training to mitigate the risks
associated with spaceflight," Williams said.
Responding to another youngster's question, Williams said he'd love to be
one of the astronauts to return to the moon or to travel to another planet.
Asked why he decided to become an astronaut in spite of the possible
dangers, Williams said he does it for the exploration.
"It's very exciting work to explore new frontiers and new things that we
haven't done before, and it's something I think we want to do throughout
the history of mankind."
Williams said he can see Japan from the ISS, and it "looks wonderful day or
night" from 220 miles up in space.
"It's got fabulous views during the day of course with the terrain, and at
night all the major cities are lit up--the islands of Japan are all lit up
where there are cities and where people live," he said. "It is absolutely
breathtaking."
The astronaut allowed that it took a good deal of training in several fields
to prepare for life aboard the ISS. That included learning Russian, becoming
familiar with both the US and Russian segments of the space station, doing
spacewalks, learning how to use the Canadarm2 remote manipulator, and all
about the Russian Soyuz transporter.
The hardest job for an astronaut, Williams said, is doing spacewalks, which
can run six hours or longer. Williams is scheduled to do a spacewalk in a
few weeks.
"It's very difficult, very hard work," he explained. "You get very tired,
especially in the hands and the arms."
In all, the youngsters had 19 questions asked and answered during the event,
which attracted about 215 parents and fellow pupils as well as one TV and
one newspaper reporter. Control operator for the ARISS contact was Yoshio
Maeda, JG3RWX. ARISS-Japan veteran Satoshi Yasuda, 7M3TJZ, served as mentor
for the contact, which was Williams' third since he came aboard the ISS in
April, and the 240th since the first ISS crew arrived in late 2000.
ARISS is an educational outreach of a nine-nation consortium, with US
participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.
==>ARRL EXPO 2006 STAGE TO FEATURE WIDE RANGE OF MINI-FORUMS
Visitors to ARRL EXPO 2006 at Dayton HamventionR Friday, May 19, through
Sunday, May 21, will be treated to a wide variety of mini-forums on the ARRL
Stage. Topics will range from the educational to the entertaining. These
live presentations will begin every half hour on the ARRL Stage, located in
the ARRL EXPO in the Ballarena of Hara Arena.
"The wide array of short presentations lined up for the ARRL stage depicts a
showcase of League programs and services," says ARRL Marketing Manager Bob
Inderbitzen, NQ1R, who's overseeing much of the League's Hamvention
presence. "This is opportunity for ARRL members and prospective members to
experience, firsthand, the very best of ARRL and Amateur Radio."
Kicking off the schedule of approximately 15-minute presentations will be
QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, talking on "Getting Started with HF Digital."
Other presentation topics (see the full schedule on the ARRL EXPO 2006 Web
site <http://www.arrl.org/announce/nc/2006/Dayton-2006-ARRL-Stage.pdf>)
include "A New Look for QST Product Review" by QST Technical Editor Joel
Hallas, W1ZR, "DXing for Beginners" by ARRL Affiliated Club/Mentor Program
Manager Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, and "QSL! QSL! How to Send Them So You'll Get
Them" by ARRL First Vice President Kay Craigie, N3KN.
In all, the ARRL stage will offer presentations on upward of two dozen
different topics. Speakers will do encore performances throughout the
weekend.
The ARRL EXPO 2006 mini-forums complement the schedule of ARRL Hamvention
forums. "ARRL: Main Street USA," Friday, 10 AM in Room 1, will give
Hamventioneers the opportunity to meet and hear ARRL's new President Joel
Harrison, W5ZN. Harrison says he'll focus his remarks on how we have to
change our approach toward today's prospective radio amateurs because of the
demographic changes on the Main Street of today.
"I believe Amateur Radio's future is at least as bright as its past,"
Harrison said in the March 2006 QST , "It Seems to Us . . ." editorial.
"Radio is still magic, and always will be. But Main Street USA has changed.
The Average Joe changed. And so Amateur Radio, too, must change if we are to
share our passion for the magic of radio with future generations."
In all, the League will sponsor 10 Hamvention forums, with topics ranging
from antennas, public relations and ham radio in the classroom to broadband
over power line, grassroots legislative lobbying and League membership. The
complete schedule of ARRL forums and a brief description of each is
available on the ARRL EXPO 2006 Web page
<http://www.arrl.org/announce/nc/2006/> (scroll down to "ARRL Forums").
See you at Dayton Hamvention!
==>OREGON RADIO AMATEUR DIES IN TOWER MISHAP
Well-known DXer Ron J. Spears, W7IX, of Klamath Falls, Oregon, died May 14
when an Amateur Radio tower he was working on in Northern California broke
and toppled. He was 44.
News accounts say Spears, an ARRL DXCC Honor Roll member (CW), was
attempting to retrieve a 40-meter beam from atop a 170-foot tower near
MacDoel, California, when the structure collapsed and fell to the ground
with Spears still attached by his safety belt. He was pronounced dead at the
scene. His father, Aubrey, was assisting on the ground and witnessed the
accident.
Spears had built the tower for its previous owner, Ray Balch, K6VX (SK), and
used to do all of Balch's antenna work, so he had prior experience working
on the structure. According to his father, Spears had first inspected the
tower for safety. Spears earlier had bought the antenna from the current
property owner and was attempting to bring it down in pieces. The heavy-duty
support structure broke as Spears was about 10 feet from the top.
One unofficial report says that when Spears removed the antenna, it slipped
and struck one of the top guy wires, starting the tower swaying until the
guy broke. Another account says the beam "got away from" Spears and its huge
boom struck and broke the tower guy. All but the lower 40 feet of the
structure reportedly fell.
In addition to his father, survivors include his mother, Oletta, N7OHO, and
a sister. Spears was a member of the ARRL and of the Southern Oregon Amateur
Packet Radio Association.--News media reports; The Daily DX; Rod Ingram,
WC7N
==>LOGBOOK OF THE WORLD REACHES 100 MILLION QSO MARK
ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, has announced that the
Logbook of the World (LoTW) now contains more than 100 million individual
QSO records.
"With the end of the solar cycle upon us, I think this is just great,"
Kramer said. "It is exciting to see this level of activity in what is
supposed to be a 'dead' period. It is gratifying to see so many people
uploading their QSOs, and we hope it continues."
LoTW is a repository of log records submitted by users from around the
world. When both participants in a QSO submit matching QSO records to LoTW,
the result is a "QSL" that can be used for ARRL award credit. There have
been more than 5.6 million QSO matches since LoTW began operation on
September 15, 2003.
__________________________________
==>IN BRIEF:
* This weekend on the radio: The US Counties QSO Party (SSB), His Majesty
the King of Spain Contest (CW), the EU PSK DX Contest, the Portuguese Navy
Day Contest (PSK31 and CW/SSB), the Manchester Mineira CW Contest and the
Baltic Contest are the weekend of May 20-21. The QRP Minimal Art Session is
May 25. JUST AHEAD: The CQ World Wide WPX Contest (CW), the VK/Trans-Tasman
80-Meter Contest (CW), the ARCI Hootowl Sprint and the Michigan QRP Memorial
Day CW Sprint are the weekend of May 27-28. The Thursday NCCC Sprint Ladder
is June 2. See the ARRL Contest Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/>
and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
<http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html> for more info.
* ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
Registration remains open through Sunday, June 4, for these ARRL
Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) Program on-line courses:
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 2 (EC-002), Amateur Radio
Emergency Communications Level 3 (EC-003), Antenna Modeling (EC-004), HF
Digital Communications (EC-005), VHF/UHF -- Life Beyond the Repeater
(EC-008), and Radio Frequency Propagation (EC-011). Classes begin Friday,
June 16. To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page
<http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the CCE Department
<cce@arrl.org&gt;.
* Dayton 2006 Weblog to add personal touch to Hamvention experience: A new
ARRL blog, "Dayton 2006 Weblog -- Notes and news from the 2006 Dayton
Hamvention and ARRL EXPO," will be part of an experimental effort to provide
the day-to-day flavor of Dayton Hamvention, Friday through Sunday, May
19-21. QST Editor and ARRL Publications Manager Steve Ford, WB8IMY, will be
posting personal observations and impressions of the 2006 Hamvention, which
annually attracts upward of 25,000 visitors. "The idea is to put a more
human face on the League," says Ford. "If it proves popular this year, we
may expand the concept in the future." At least this time around, the Dayton
blog will not offer any means for readers to post their own comments. The
blog is at <http://www.arrl.org/blog/Dayton%202006>.
* ARRL's next-generation ham radio study guides now available: The keys to
passing the Amateur Radio Technician license examinations starting July 1
now are available. The ARRL has produced The ARRL Ham Radio License
Manual--a brand-new publication that includes all the information a
prospective ham needs to get licensed, including the significantly revised
Technician class (Element 2) question pool going into effect at mid-year.
Also just out: the fourth edition of ARRL's Tech Q & A. These new
publications will supplant the popular and familiar Now You're Talking! (5th
edition) and ARRL's Tech Q & A (3rd edition) for those not planning to sit
for the Technician examination any sooner than July 1. Both study guides
will be available at Dayton Hamvention. The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual
(Order No 9639) retails for $24.95. The new fourth-edition ARRL Tech Q & A
(Order No 9647) sells for $15.95. Both are available via the ARRL online
products catalog <http://www.arrl.org/catalog/>. Anyone aiming to take the
Technician class (Element 2) Amateur Radio examination *before* July 1 of
this year should study Now You're Talking! (5th edition) and ARRL's Tech Q &
A (3rd edition), which remain available. This summer, a new online class,
"The ARRL Ham Radio License Course" will replace the current Technician
License Course (EC-010). Along with a 100-percent risk-free guarantee,
registration will include a copy of the new ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, a
one-year ARRL membership and post-graduate support.
* JARL awards representative will be at Dayton: DXers working on Japan
Amateur Radio League (JARL) awards take note: CQ DX Hall of Famer Masa
Ebisawa, JA1DM, will be at Dayton Hamvention in the JARL booth (#483). The
JARL will be checking the following awards: ADXA, ADXA-HALF, AJD, JCCs, JCG,
WAJA, WASA, Satellite-FUJI and others. In addition, he can check cards for
ARRL DXCC. Ebisawa also will be available to answer questions on JARL
activities as well as reciprocal licensing in Japan. For more information
visit the JARL English-language Web site
<http://www.jarl.or.jp/English/4_Library/A-4-2_Awards/Award_Main.htm> (URL
is case-sensitive).
* Position opening at ARRL Headquarters: ARRL is seeking a qualified radio
amateur to fill the position of Contest Branch Manager within the Membership
Services Department. This is a full-time position at ARRL Headquarters in
Newington, Connecticut. This individual will manage all activities of the
Contest Branch, including employee supervision and volunteer coordination.
Primary responsibilities include promotion and encouragement of Amateur
Radio contest activity, receiving and processing contest logs, writing and
preparing articles about contesting activity for ARRL publications,
preparing results of ARRL contests for publication and Web posting,
assisting in budget preparation and providing a high level of customer
service. Candidates must have a college degree or equivalent and an Amateur
Radio license and be very familiar with ARRL's contest program (preference
will be given to applicants with considerable personal contesting
experience). Other requirements include solid interpersonal, writing and
speaking skills; familiarity with the DXCC program and with ARRL sections
and divisions, knowledge of the Microsoft Office software suite, and strong
attention to detail. As a representative of the ARRL, the Contest Branch
Manager may need to undertake some weekday and weekend travel. ARRL is an
equal opportunity employer. Send a resume and cover letter to LouAnn
Campanello, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111 or via e-mail
<lcampanello@arrl.org&gt;. ARRL is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
* Jambo Scoutfest 2006 Boy Scout special event set: Boy Scout Venture Crew
59 in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, will offer more than 5000 Boy Scouts, Cub
Scouts and Venture Crew members an up-close look at Amateur Radio during
Jambo Scoutfest 2006, Friday through Sunday, May 19-21, on the campus of
Kutztown University. ARRL Headquarters staffer Larry Wolfgang, WR1B--an
enthusiastic scouting supporter and leader--will be among those on hand for
the occasion. The scouts will be operating under their KC3BSA call sign as a
special event station during Jambo Scoutfest. Battery-powered and
solar-powered stations will be on the air on or near the World Scout
Frequencies <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/jota.html#frequencies>. Look for
SSB and CW activity on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters as well as SSB on 6 and
2 meters and FM on 70 cm. The scouts also will demonstrate slow-scan
television (SSTV), PSK31 and EchoLink. Visiting youth are invited to sit in
as guest ops. A certificate is available for a QSL to Edward R. Breneiser,
WA3WSJ, ATTN: KC3BSA, 775 Moonflower Ave, Reading, PA 19606 (write "Jambo
Scoutfest" on the envelope). There's more information on the Venture Crew 59
Web site <http://www.wa3wsj.com/VC59/VC59Home.html>.
* Tide comes in for SSTV: Slow-scan television (SSTV) enthusiasts and fans
of the world's largest ocean tides will have a unique opportunity to combine
those interests on Friday, May 26. QST author and mobile HF operator David
Rosenthal, N6TST, will set up what he calls an "Interesting Event Station"
at a dock beside Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy. There he plans to
systematically photograph and transmit hourly SSTV images of one of the
year's largest tides. He will be using the call sign N6TST/VE1. Rosenthal's
wharf-side location near Hantsport is known for the many super-high tide
photos taken there. Propagation permitting, the progressive tide images
should be copyable throughout North America on 20 meters; look for him on or
near 14.235 MHz. High tide is scheduled for 1559 UTC that day. Using an ICOM
IC-7000, a laptop and a 20 meter vertical antenna, he plans to shoot photos
throughout the day.
* DXCC Desk approves operations for DXCC credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has
approved these operations for DXCC credit: YI9AQ (Iraq), current operation,
effective September 21, 2004; YI9LZ (Iraq), current operation, effective May
8, 2005; D6/WB4MBU (Comoros), operation from May 24 to October 27, 2001;
D68JC (Comoros), operation from October 23 to November 8, 2001, and 4W2AQ
(Timor-Leste), operation from June 18 to December 17, 2003. For more
information, visit the DXCC Web page <http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/>.
"DXCC Frequently Asked Questions" can answer most questions about the DXCC
program.
===========================================================
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Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St,
Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259;
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==>How to Get The ARRL Letter
The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly from
ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail
delivery:
ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site
<http://www.arrl.org/members/>. You'll have an opportunity during
registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of The ARRL Letter, W1AW
bulletins, and other material. To change these selections--including
delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should click on the "Member
Data Page" link (in the Members Only box). Click on "Modify membership
data," check or uncheck the appropriate boxes and/or change your e-mail
address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all automatically sent
email" to temporarily stop all e-mail deliveries.) Then, click on "Submit
modification" to make selections effective. (NOTE: HQ staff members cannot
change your e-mail delivery address. You must do this yourself via the
Members Only Web Site.)
The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these
sources:
* ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/>. (NOTE: The ARRL Letter will be
posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.)
* The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur Radio
Club: Visit Mailing Lists@QTH.Net
<http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/letter-list>. (NOTE: The ARRL
cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this listserver.)

The ARRL Letter

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly summary of essential news of interest to active amateurs that is available in advance of publication in QST, our official journal. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely, accurate, concise and readable.

Much of the ARRL Letter content is also available in audio form in ARRL Audio News.

Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.

Back issues published since 2000 are available on this page. If you wish to subscribe via e-mail, simply log on to the ARRL Web site, click on Edit Your Profile at the top, then click on Edit Email Subscriptions. Check the box next to The ARRL email newsletter, the ARRL Letter and you will receive each weekly issue in HTML format. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Plain-Text

The ARRL E-Letter e-mail is also available in plain-text version:

Outlook Express

1. From the Inbox view, select the Tools menu and the Options selection.

2. Click the Read tab

3. Check the Read All Messages In Plain Text box. When you open the e-mail, it will be in plain text without images. Other e-mail programs may be able to make a Mail Rule for e-mail received from the address memberlist@www.arrl.org so that the plain-text-only display is selected automatically.

Outlook 2007

Use the same procedure as for Outlook Express, although the global option is under "Tools/Trust Center/E-mail Security".

Use the "Message text garbled?" link in the drop-down menu at the upper right of the displayed message block. pine, alpine Set "prefer-plain-text" in your ~/.pinerc configuration file: feature-list=..., prefer-plain-text, ...